Not Traditional, Original

The core belief of Christianity centers around the resurrection. Jesus Himself declared that he was the resurrection. He was the resurrection because any that believe on him gains the resurrection of the just, is saved from wrath, and lives eternally with the Lord:

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [John 11:25]

The reason we need Christ is simple. No one, on his own is good enough to gain eternal life with Christ. That is the eternal reason.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]

“the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 6:23].

This death from sin is not physical, obviously sinners are alive all over the place. The death is spiritual. We have lost our spiritual connection.

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. [Isa 59:2]

There is also a temporal reason we need a Savior. We live in an evil world.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: [1Pe 5:8]

With Christ we have access to power that is incredible:

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, [Eph 3:20]

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. [1Jo 4:4]

What Christ accomplished for us is incredible. But it was not simple, or easy, for him to do this. He lived a perfect life, resisting incredible temptation. He suffered a terrible death on the cross. He did it out of love.

This is Easter week, when most Christians remember the passion, death, and resurrection.

And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a long white garment. And they were frightened.
And he said to them, Do not be frightened. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen, He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.
But go tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see Him, as He said to you. [Mark 16:5-7]

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Original Christianity

This web is a look at primitive, original Christianity, how it developed over time and how it compares to current practices.

Why? Click to Read More...

"Jesus Christ is Lord" is the common belief of billions of Christians. But there are tens of thousands of denominations. While ancient denominations like the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox claim to be the original and consequently "true" church, innumerable churches and denominations have started citing error in these ancient bastions and/or the leading of the spirit to reform the church and restore the church.

There are numerous disputed issues. Cessation doctrine (prophecy and the gifts of the spirit ended with the apostles), infant baptism, the inerrancy of Scripture, the form of Church government, the role of women in the church, and currently, the acceptance of homosexuality are just some of the many disputed doctrines that cause the Christian body to be so divided.

The Reformation movement performed an invaluable service. But instead of simply reforming the church or simply working to create one more correct alternative church the Reformation movement worked to increase the number of disputes over scripture and consequently the number of splits has increased exponentially.

The problem with looking at all the denominations is that it can become confusing to just compare this church or denomination to that one. The complexity of looking at all the theological implications can become overwhelming. For many busy people that means just making the best, less than fully educated decision they can, and staying with the church of their heritage or finding a church where they feel they can grow.
Just finding the information can be an overwhelming task. Putting it into some understandable framework is an even more complicated task.

This web site, rather than trying to just compare all the current positions on the differences goes back to the beginning (primitive, original Christianity) and evaluates Christianity starting at that point. This includes looking at the gospel accounts, but also includes looking at early church documents as well as other ancient documents, both secular and religious. (There is also a section on Philosophy because its profound impact on Christian theological development.) The articles have numerous references to works both in print and online.

Next the web site looks at the developments in Christianity from original Christianity forward to see how the church developed over time comparing each development with what we know about original Christianity. The goals are:

To trace the development of the church from start to now to see how the church at large wound up with all these competing churches/denominations today, and

To equip people with the knowledge of original Christianity to enable people to make an informed decision on what is the true faith and practice of the church Jesus Christ started.